| 02nd week of 2010 patent applcation highlights part 54 |
| Patent application number | Title | Published |
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| 20100010855 | Scheduling a Meeting of Users of Networked Computers - During scheduling a meeting between users of networked computers, participants are assigned to groups of different priority based on importance of participant's presence at the meeting. Proposed schedule of the meeting is confirmed with the participants in an order of priority of their groups. The meeting is scheduled on a time interval during which availability of the participants is compliant with pre-selected group attendance requirements. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010856 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CONSTRAINT-BASED PROJECT SCHEDULING - A method and system of constraint-based project scheduling. The method comprises maintaining a first database containing project scheduling data associated with at least a current period and a next period of an assignment plan; maintaining a second database containing data associated with a look ahead plan, the look ahead plan covering at least an overlap portion of the next period of the assignment plan such that the look ahead plan overlaps the assignment plan; transferring data associated with one or more shielded tasks having a starting time within the overlap portion of the next period from the second database into the first database as a modification of the project scheduling data associated with the next period of the assignment plan; and executing the project according to the next period of the assignment plan based on the modified project scheduling data associated with the next period in the first database. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010857 | INTELLIGENT POWER MONITORING - An electronic device operative to monitor and control processes and operations based on the power cost of those processes and operations are provided. The electronic device can identify processes or networked devices requiring power, determine the expected amount of power required for the process or networked device, and calculate the cost of the power requirement. For example, the electronic device can receive data or algorithms defining the manner in which a power supplier computes the cost of consumed power, and predict the expected cost of the particular power requirement. Based on the importance of the process or device, and the expected power cost, the electronic device can perform a process or provide power to a networked device, or alternatively delay or cancel a process to ensure that the power cost of the device remains within preset boundaries (e.g., the power cost of the device or of a home network of devices does not exceed a maximum cap). | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010858 | WORKFLOW EXECUTION CONTROL APPARATUS AND WORKFLOW EXECUTION CONTROL METHOD - A workflow execution control method includes calculating a processing cost and an error occurrence probability for each of the services by acquiring a processing result for each of the services from the service providing servers, calculating for each of the services a normalized cost which is a cost normalized by using the processing cost that occurs in the event of an error in one of the services in order to process other ones of the services and also using the occurrence probability of the error, determining an execution order of the services in accordance with the normalized costs calculated for the services, and sequentially calling the services from the service providing servers in accordance with the execution order. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010859 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ALLOCATING DEPENDENT TASKS TO TEAMS THROUGH MULTI-VARIATE OPTIMIZATION - A method, system and article of manufacture are disclosed for allocating tasks to a team of persons. The method comprises comprising the step of identifying a set of tasks and a set of persons, each of the tasks having a given set of task attributes, and each of the persons having a given set of employee attributes. The method comprises the further steps of establishing a cost function including a set of cost factors based on one or more of the task or employee attributes, and establishing a utility function including a set of utility factors based on one or more of the task or employee attributes. One or more assignments of the tasks among the employees are found that minimizes the cost function; and the one assignment, of said one or more assignments, is identified that maximizes the utility function. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010860 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SOCIAL NETWORK ROUTING FOR REQUEST MATCHING IN ENTERPRISE ENVIRONMENTS - A plurality of requests for service are obtained, each of the requests specifying a description of work, at least one constraint, and at least one objective function. Each request is routed to a corresponding first target resource, according to a routing table, in a manner to satisfy the at least one constraint and the at least one objective function. Tracking is carried out to determine whether the first target resource accepts a given request, rejects the given request, or passes on the given request to a second resource. The routing table is updated based on the tracking. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010861 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING A VIRTUAL COLLECTIONS CALL CENTER SYSTEM - Methods and systems for operating a virtual collections call center system are described. A system may include a database server, a telephony server, an auto dialer system, a Web server, and call agent computer systems, each geographically separated from the database server, the telephony server, the auto dialer system, the Web server and other call agent computer systems. The database server may store debtor records, each including a debtor telephone number. The telephony server may retrieve a debtor record from the database server. The auto dialer system may initiate a communication session with a debtor based on the debtor telephone number of the retrieved debtor record, establish a connection with the call agent after the debtor has accepted the communication session, and alert the telephony server that the communication session has been established. The Web server may initiate a Web session with the call agent computer system. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010862 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR QUALITY ASSESSMENT OF A FIELD SERVICE OPERATION BASED ON GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION - Methods, apparatus and systems for computer-aided determination of quality assessment for locate and marking operations based on geographic information. In one example, information related to a locate and marking operation is electronically analyzed such that a quality assessment is based at least in part on first geographic information indicating at least one first location of a field-service technician following issuance of an instruction to perform the locate and marking operation, and second geographic information indicating at least one second location at which the location and marking operation was requested to be performed in the instruction. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010863 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR QUALITY ASSESSMENT OF A FIELD SERVICE OPERATION BASED ON MULTIPLE SCORING CATEGORIES - Methods, apparatus and systems for computer-aided determination of quality assessment for locate and marking operations based on multiple scoring or grading categories. In one example, information related to a locate and marking operation is electronically analyzed such that a quality assessment is based at least in part on a plurality of quality assessment criteria, wherein each criterion has at least two scoring categories each associated with a scoring value or grade and having an expected data value or range of expected data values. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010864 | CONTACT PRIORITY SCHEDULE COORDINATOR - Systems of the present invention provide for coordinating schedules by assigning a priority level to a user and scheduling an event using an electronic calendar. An exemplary system may comprise a profile manager used to download information to a client side application on an electronic calendar to recommend a matching time slot common to available ranges of time slots provided by a first user and a second user. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010865 | Method, System and Software Product for Optimizing the Delivery of Content to a Candidate - A computer-implemented method and system for improving recipient response rates to content presented via a data communications network to a plurality of recipients based upon recipient response data, wherein the content comprises a plurality of content factors. Each content factor is selected from one or more corresponding content levels. A data structure is provided for containing recipient response data associated with content comprising combinations of content levels. A plurality of content samples is generated by forming combinations of content levels for a plurality of content factors in accordance with respective combination weightings derived from recipient response data contained within the data structure. The plurality of content samples is presented to a corresponding plurality of recipients via the data communications network. The recipient responses to the content samples are received via the data communications network. The recipient responses are analysed to identify one or more combinations of content levels resulting in high recipient response rates relative to other combinations in accordance with predetermined statistical criteria. The recipient response data associated with combinations of content levels resulting in high recipient response rates is stored within the data structure. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010866 | ADVERTISING ACROSS SOCIAL NETWORK COMMUNICATION PATHWAYS - A method, data structure, and medium are provided for presenting advertisements to users through a social networking web site and tracking the interactions of users with the advertisements. Advertisements describing a product or service can be presented to users of the social networking site along with a plurality of communication options for communicating the advertisement to other users through the social networking site. Upon receiving a selection of a communication option from the user, the advertisement is accordingly communicated to other users through the social networking site. The interactions of those users with the advertisement is then tracked and reported to a third party. The cost of presenting the advertisement can be calculated based on the interactions of users with the advertisement. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010867 | Method for measuring packet advertising effectiveness - This invention generally relates to a method for measuring the effectiveness of an advertising method that facilitates purchases involving or assisted by a website. More particularly the method discloses how to measure the advertising effectiveness of widely distributed resealable packets of liquid that bear website addresses to prompt or facilitate direct access to websites. Data derived from the packet's manufacturing, distribution and website access is used in measuring the advertising effectiveness disclosed in this method. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010868 | SYSTEM FOR REMOVE AND/OR DEFERRED MONITORING OF THE CONSUMPTION OF ARTICLES IN STOCK ON SHELVES AND THE LIKE - A system for remote and/or deferred monitoring of the consumption of articles in stock on shelves and the like, including sensors operatively associated to the shelves to furnish data on the presence/absence of articles. The monitoring system is operatively connected to a computerized enterprise-resource-planning (ERP) system of the commercial enterprise, and/or of the distributor, and/or of the producer of the goods. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010869 | DEMAND CURVE ANALYSIS METHOD FOR PREDICTING FORECAST ERROR - The present disclosure describes novel methods of demand planning for one or more products including estimating forecast error. The data may be organized into one or more hierarchies and may contain one or more attributes. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010870 | System and Method for Tuning Demand Coefficients - The present invention relates to a system and method for tuning demand coefficients. Transaction data for product categories is received from a store(s). Price elasticity and uncertainty values are selected for the product categories. This transaction data may be seeded with generic price elasticity and uncertainty values. Product categories where the transaction history is not sufficient enough to generate accurate demand coefficients may be identified. Tuning parameters for a product category are estimated using price elasticity and uncertainty values. The tuning parameters include price elasticity mean and price elasticity standard deviation. A modified likelihood function is generated by applying a normally distributed price elasticity term. The modified likelihood function may then be solved for its maxima, thereby generating tuned demand coefficients which may be output to a pricing optimization system for product price setting, and/or may be stored for later product categories. New sales data may be received from the store(s). This data may be used to retrain the tuned demand coefficients. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010871 | METHOD AND SYSTEM TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK DATA WITHIN A DISTRIBUTED E-COMMERCE SYSTEM - A system and method to provide feedback data within a distributed feedback system of an e-commerce system. Feedback data describing e-commerce transactions are generated by buyers of goods and services and the corresponding sellers of these goods and services. The feedback data is stored and maintained within a set of feedback servers organized into a peer-to-peer network of distributed devices. The feedback data is organized into groupings of feedback data that are stored onto database storage associated with each of the P2P network nodes. Buyers and sellers may search the feedback data from these distributed data sources to obtain reputation data associated with parties with which they propose to enter into new transactions for goods and services. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010872 | PERSONA-BASED CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT TOOLS AND METHODS FOR SALES SUPPORT - The present invention represents a web-based, CRM-integrated system and method for unlocking the creativity of salespeople at all levels when selling to different buyer personas within a buying community throughout the buying cycle. The system of the present invention may be flexible and may integrate the collection of data through questions posed to a user, as well as secondary data sources. This data may be utilized to create a tool for the sales process and to facilitate learning by salespeople. The tools created and utilized by the system may include personas, playbooks, and matrixes. These tools may be designed to facilitate the identification of a best action or choice in response to a particular situation or dilemma. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010873 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INFORMATION ACQUISITION AND SHARING - A business card scanner with software recognition or optical character recognition (or at a network server) that is placed within a business, retail space and/or point of customer contact and typically at the point of customer sale in the particular business. A business card can be requested from a customer by a customer service representative within a business. A free standing automated kiosk, interactive screen, or stand-alone automated inquiry could also request a business card from anyone in the vicinity via inquiry. The configuration of the business card scanner that resides in a kiosk model could be stand alone or be part of a larger modality/device already within a particular business or used in conjunction with other devices in the same space. The inquiry is any type of messaging/communication that results in a business card being inserted by a customer. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010874 | Systems and methods of evaluating and extending a loan secured by an invention idea of a borrower - Systems including computer readable programs and methods of evaluating loan applications and extending loans to borrowers secured by the borrower's undeveloped, but potentially patentable and/or marketable invention idea, includes evaluating an invention idea invented by a borrower, assigning a value to the invention idea and determining an amount of money to extended to the borrower, and obtaining one or more of an ownership interest in the invention idea or a security interest in the invention idea as collateral. Also disclosed are criteria for conducting an analysis of the invention idea to determine one or more terms of a loan to be extended to the borrower. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010875 | RESOLVING DEMAND AND SUPPLY IMBALANCES - A system for resolving demand and supply imbalances includes a supply liability reduction process (SLRP) executable upon identifying an excess component inventory liability. The SLRP includes: a procurement and development assessment sub-process that represents a greatest magnitude of liability; a liability council assessment sub-process that represents a magnitude of liability less than that of the procurement and development assessment sub-process; a sales activities sub-process that represents a magnitude of liability less than that of the liability council assessment sub-process; and a liability write-off sub-process that represents a magnitude of liability less than that of the sales activities sub-process. The SLRP performs one or more sub-processes in an order of the magnitude of liability. The sub-process reduces the excess component inventory liability by: determining alternative end products that use components identified in the excess component inventory liability; and executing for enticing sales of alternative end products. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010876 | ON-LINE SALES METHOD AND SYSTEM - An on-line sales method includes providing a website operated by at least one computer connected to the Internet, receiving a user's submission of an amount for conducting a sales transaction, providing a plurality of items available for the user to select from and to potentially purchase at the submitted amount, and providing a selection option of the user determined based on the submitted amount. The method further includes receiving, on the website, the user's selection of multiple ones among the plurality of items in accordance with the user's selection option, conducting a computerized drawing to draw one out of the multiple items selected by the user. The drawn item has a published price that is equal to or higher than the submitted amount. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010877 | APPROACH FOR ESTIMATING USER RATINGS OF ITEMS - According to an embodiment of the invention, an approach is provided for estimating how a particular user would rate a particular item from a plurality of items. The approach is applicable to any type of items, including rental items such as movies, music and games, and the invention is not limited to any particular type of item. One or more items from the plurality of items that have ratings similar to the particular item are identified. One or more other users are identified that have given ratings to the one or more items that are substantially similar to ratings given by the particular user to the one or more items. An estimation is made of how the particular user would rate the particular item based upon ratings for the particular item given by the one or more other users. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010878 | PREDICTIVE MODEL DEVELOPMENT - Models are generated using a variety of tools and features of a model generation platform. For example, in connection with a project in which a user generates a predictive model based on historical data about a system being modeled, the user is provided through a graphical user interface a structured sequence of model generation activities to be followed, the sequence including dimension reduction, model generation, model process validation, and model re-generation. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010879 | PRODUCTIVITY OPERATIONS SYSTEM AND METHODOLOGY FOR IMPROVING MANUFACTURING PRODUCTIVITY - A method for improving productivity operations may include receiving elements of a first and second array which produces a productivity matrix. Further included may be receiving matrix events having an input, an output, and an activity step, receiving the input and activity step, and outputting the output. The input, activity step, and output may enable standardization of productivity improvement. A method may also include supplying elements of the first and second array to produce a productivity matrix and generating matrix events which include an input, output, and activity step. A system for improving productivity operations may include a computer configured to receive elements of the first and second arrays which produces a productivity matrix. The computer may receive matrix events having an input, output, and activity step, receive the input and activity step, and output an output all of which together may enable standardization of productivity improvement. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010880 | PERFORMANCE OBSERVATION, TRACKING AND IMPROVEMENT SYSTEM AND METHOD - A growth cycle includes frequent observations and ongoing communication in a professional growth cycle. The professional growth cycle includes a walk-though, feedback, and professional reflection and implementation/application. A computer network system for conducting observations of individual professionals and administering observation results includes an observation software module to generate from a predetermined list of learners a listing of at least one learner for a scheduled observation event by a predetermined observer. Predetermined options are selectable by the observer related to the observation event. A scheduling module is in data communication with a calendar module. The scheduling module is configured to enter data and extract data associated with scheduled observation events from the calendar module. An observation criteria module is configured to generate observation criteria for guiding the observer in conducting the observation event. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010881 | Using a Conflict of Interest Method and System with Regression Analysis for Analyzing Portfolio Manager Performance - To analyze the factors that contribute to the performance of the portfolio manager has always been a challenging task. Traditionally, the background of the manager, statistical data associated with the manager, and many tangible and intangible considerations play a role in the evaluation of the manager. A portfolio manager can not operate without the supporting teams; the manager is also influenced by the operational environment and a changing market structure. For this invention, the conflict of interest method is utilized to characterize the operational environment and the market structure that have been missing from traditional evaluation method of the manager. The objective of this invention is to introduce a balanced method for evaluating the portfolio manager by analyzing the investment process and its components that the manager has to work with it. By building the COIS into regression analysis, the contributing factors of performance are extended from factors associate with the manager to include factors related to the market participants, investment process, business practice, operational environment and market structure. The COI Method opens new paths to perform analysis and decision making in many fields of investment. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010882 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR QUALITY ASSESSMENT OF A FIELD SERVICE OPERATION BASED ON DYNAMIC ASSESSMENT PARAMETERS - Methods, apparatus and systems for computer-aided determination of quality assessment for locate and marking operations. In one example, information related to a locate and marking operation is electronically analyzed such that a quality assessment is made using assessment parameters that are dynamically selected based at least in part on first information describing at least some aspects of the locate and marking operation as performed by a field-service technician and second information relating to a description of the locate operation to be performed. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010883 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING A QUALITY ASSESSMENT OF A FIELD SERVICE OPERATION BASED ON MULTIPLE QUALITY ASSESSMENT CRITERIA - Methods of generating and storage-mediums storing at least one data structure for facilitating a quality assessment of a locate operation performed by a field-service technician to identify a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility. The data structure comprises a plurality of quality assessment criteria relating to the locate operation, at least two scoring categories for at least some of the plurality of quality assessment criteria, each scoring category associated with a unique quality assessment indicator, and at least one expected data value or range of expected data values for each scoring category. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010884 | Method And System For Customizable Video Advertising - A method and system for publishing video ads on Web pages, comprising providing a publisher interface for interactively specifying a video ad by a publisher wherein a video ad comprises one or more media clips and, optionally, one or more interactive controls, generating by the publisher interface a playlist that specifies the video ad wherein said playlist includes references to said one or more media clips and said optional interactive controls, storing by the publisher interface the playlist in a storage system, downloading the playlist from the storage system to a smart media player capable of processing said playlist, in response to a user request, and playing the video ad by the smart media player. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010885 | Methods and Systems for Account Management and Virtual Agent Design and Implementation - Aspects of the present invention comprise systems and methods for design and use of web-based applications for account management. Some embodiments may comprise a virtual agent or avatar as part of an account collection or management web application. Some embodiments may comprise applications, utilities and tools for account-related web resource design. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010886 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR FACILITATING AND ENCOURAGING CHARITABLE GIVING - A system and method for facilitating and encouraging micro-donations is described. A donation facilitator serves as a centralized system for providing promotion, banking, and donation acceptance for non-profit organizations of all sizes. One embodiment accepts donations from donors via mobile devices such as smartphones. The embodiment also allows the donors to submit multimedia files such as pictures along with their donation, which are then combined into a group image that is displayed on a large-format video screen, such as a video screen at a concert or sporting event. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010887 | CONTINGENT FEE ADVERTISEMENT PUBLISHING SERVICE PROVIDER FOR INTERACTIVE TV MEDIA SYSTEM AND METHOD - A purchase-transaction-settled online consumer referral and reward system and method using real-time specific merchant sales information is provided for the advertising publishing industry. The system provides a pay per transaction platform that allows advertising publishers to monetize interactive and/or broadcast media advertising by tracking and linking ad acceptance events to consummated consumer purchases. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010888 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR OFFERING PURCHASE INCENTIVES - One embodiment of the present invention advantageously provides rebates in association with purchases. These rebates are then automatically apportioned and distributed into various accounts, such as charitable and investment accounts, in accordance with the purchaser's directives. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010889 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR A MULTIPLE MERCHANT STORED VALUE CARD - The loyalty system allows a consumer to accumulate general loyalty points from one or more merchants, and convert any desired subset of general points to loyalty dollars associated with a specific merchant. The system stores, for each consumer, the merchant loyalty dollars (or monetary equivalent) by merchant within a remotely-accessible host database or within a smart card database. Upon conducting a purchase at a particular merchant, the consumer may utilize a code key to facilitate access to the consumer's own loyalty dollars for the particular merchant. The loyalty dollars are then applied to the purchase transaction as a discount or rebate. The consumer may also re-load the merchant loyalty dollar accounts. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010890 | Method and System for Measuring Advertisement Dwell Time - A method and system for measuring online advertisement dwell time. The method comprises monitoring a plurality of events being generated in a response to a user interaction with the online advertisement embedded in the webpage; determining at least a type of each event being monitored; instructing a counter adapted to count the dwell time to perform at least terminating the counting, starting the counting or stopping the counting; and recording a value of the counter as a measured dwell time, upon termination of the counting. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010891 | METHODS FOR ADVERTISEMENT SLATE SELECTION - A computer implemented method is disclosed for controlling display of advertisements. The method includes selecting a policy that generates a slate of advertisements to be displayed when the policy is applied to a context. The method also includes applying the selected policy to the context to generate the slate of advertisements to be displayed, and displaying the slate of advertisements. The method further includes identifying a user-selected advertisement in the slate of advertisements, and calculating a cost of the user-selected advertisement to be charged to an owner of the advertisement. The cost is calculated based on the selected policy, the context, and the slate of advertisements. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010892 | Electronic Advertisement Delivery System, Server, Method, Information Recording Medium, And Program - In an electronic advertisement distribution system ( | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010893 | VIDEO OVERLAY ADVERTISEMENT CREATOR - Methods and systems for creating video overlay advertisements suitable for use with digital videos. In one embodiment, values specifying attributes of a desired video overlay advertisement are entered via a browser-based user interface functioning on a client device and communicated to a server. The server receives the values and in response provides to the client device a video overlay advertisement having the desired attributes, which the client displays within the browser-based user interface. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010894 | SOFTWARE-AS-A-SERVICE AD CONTENT - Methods, systems and computer program products for providing software-as-a-service ad content. Exemplary embodiments include a software service ad content method, including providing a design module for creating the user interface and processing instructions for a dynamic document template, providing a deployment module configured to distribute the dynamic document template to a content repository, providing a retrieval module configured to retrieve the dynamic document template from the content repository, to instantiate a dynamic document from the dynamic document template, and to enable data entry into the dynamic document, and providing an ad content association module configured to select content to deliver with the retrieved dynamic document, wherein the selection comprises analysis of the content of the dynamic document. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010895 | PREDICTION OF A DEGREE OF RELEVANCE BETWEEN QUERY REWRITES AND A SEARCH QUERY - A predictor for determining a degree of relevance between a query rewrite and a search query is provided. The predictor may receive a search query from a user via a terminal and identify a set of candidate query rewrites associated with the search query. The predictor may then extract a set of features from advertisements associated with the query rewrites and the search query and determine a degree of relevance between the advertisements and the search query based on a prediction model. The predictor may then determine the degree of relevance between the rewrites and the search query based on the determined degree of relevance between the advertisements and the search query. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010896 | System and Method to Deliver Advertisement Data - A method of delivering advertisement data includes receiving a communication from a mobile device at an advertisement data system and identifying an out-of-home venue based on contact information at which the communication is received. The method also includes sending a plurality of advertisement data options to the mobile device. The plurality of advertisement data options are associated with a plurality of advertisements presented at the out-of-home venue. The plurality of advertisements includes the contact information. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010897 | Method, Apparatus and System for Calculating and Displaying an Influence Map Using Adjacencies between Discontinuous Geographies - A system for presenting on-line advertising for goods and services to a user. After determining a geographic location of interest the method runs a query for retrieving candidate advertisements based on geographic location of interest, an advertiser type, and values in an influence map. The influence map is constructed by overlaying geographic location data onto an XY grid of cells and dividing cells into sub-cells that approximate various political or natural boundaries or other devised degrees of separation. Influences from geographically defined locations are propagated iteratively to neighboring cells, thus providing a continuous metric for influence across discontinuous geographic boundaries. Having now a measure of influence of a particular geographic feature and a user's suggestion of desired goods and/or services, advertisements are presented to the user in form of an ordered list, or in a web page frame, or on a geographic- or influence-oriented map. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010898 | ADVERTISEMENT DELIVERY SYSTEM, AND CLIENT OF THE SYSTEM - An advertisement data delivery system comprising at least one advertisement server and a client communicable with the advertisement server through a network, wherein the client transmits to one advertisement server a data delivery request requesting the advertisement server to deliver data to the client, and in response to the data delivery request, the advertisement server delivers to the client at least one of advertisement data according to which the client displays on its display portion an advertisement, and another address which is different from the address of the advertisement server to which the data delivery request has been transmitted, so that the other advertisement data can be delivered from the above-indicated another address to the client. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010899 | SERVICE DISCOVERY METHODS - Aspects of the disclosure provide a method for service discovery. The method includes receiving a first service advertisement by a first device. The first service advertisement includes at least a service of a second device. Further, the method include updating a service directory of the first device to include the service of the second device, and transmitting a second service advertisement by the first device. The second service advertisement includes at least the service of the second device, and can be used by a third device to effect use of the service of the second device. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010900 | SYSTEM AND METHOD OF INTERACTIVE AREA ADVERTISEMENT USING MULTICAST TRANSMITTING - An interactive advertisement system and a method thereof are provided. The interactive advertisement system includes an advertiser server, a local advertisement server, and a service receiver. The advertiser server requests registration of advertisement information by setting advertisement ID including target service areas and provides services in response to an order of available services corresponding to the advertisement information. The local advertisement server stores and registers the advertisement information including the advertisement ID corresponding to the registration request of the advertiser server, multicasts the registered advertisement information with the advertisement ID through an IP network, and transmits information related to a service request to the advertiser server. The service receiver extracts advertisement information providing a corresponding service from the received advertisement information, outputs the extracted information through a user interface, requesting the local advertisement server to order the input service, and receives the corresponding service from the advertiser server. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010901 | POINT-OF-SALE TRANSACTION MANAGEMENT - A point-of-sale system comprises a webserver that receives lists of products and services offered at retail points of sale, and that can sort them into items that are qualified, conditionally qualified, and non-qualified to be purchased by a cardholder using a flexible spending account payment card. The qualified items are permissible to be purchased by all cardholders, but purchases of conditionally qualified items are only permissible when the cardholder has registered a particular qualifying characteristic. For example, a health condition for which a doctor has prescribed the retail item for purchase. The demographics of the cardholders are available for affinity programs, promotional offers, discounts, and rebates. Such are proffered at the point of sale during transaction authorization to be considered by the cardholder or to be automatically exercised. Purchases in excess of the funds then available in the cardholders' flexible spending accounts can be deducted from other registered accounts or payrolls. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010902 | Systems and Methods for Virtual Markets with Product Pickup - A system and method for virtual markets with product pickup generally comprised of a three-dimensional user supermarket interface, where a user places an order, and a retail/warehouse hybrid procurement center, comprised of a fulfillment warehouse and a pickup bay, where the order is generally fulfilled, packaged and picked-up by a user. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010903 | VENDING MACHINE AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF - A control method of a vending machine which has a display module to display an image stored therein or inputted from the outside is provided. The control method includes: determining whether a door of the vending machine is open; changing an image mode displayed on the display module if it is determined that the door of the vending machine is open; and displaying a certification mode window to certify a user if the image mode is changed. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010904 | Immediate recognition of financial transactions - Immediate recognition of deposits and other transactions may be provided by a financial institution for transactions conducted at a remote location. The financial institution may receive transaction data from a device at the remote location and immediately acknowledge the transaction and provide a non-provisional credit to an entity's account. The device may include various currency handling devices such as automatic teller machines (ATM), self-payment kiosks, cash registers and the like. A financial institution may further provide a real-time cash position of an entity across multiple currency handling devices of the entity. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010905 | Transaction Data Capture Device and System - The present invention is directed to a device and system for capturing transaction data sent between a point of sale terminal and a peripheral device. The transaction data capture device includes an input for receiving transaction data sent from the point of sale terminal to a peripheral device during the course of a transaction with a customer and an output for transmitting the transaction data to the peripheral device. The transaction data capture device further includes a processor programmed to detect and save the transaction data received at the input and associate the transaction data with customer identity information identifying the customer. The transaction data capture device also includes a memory for storing the associated transaction data and customer identity and a network interface for routing the transaction data and associated identity information from memory over a data communications network. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010906 | Point of sale payment method for multiple recipients using a digital payment service - The method allows the funds from the purchase of a single item to be automatically divided and distributed to multiple recipients according to pre-arranged royalty and percent ownership arrangements. The purchase of multiple items can also be managed this way. In one embodiment, the method may employ JavaScript fee-split code that can be uploaded from a remote merchant server. The code can be executed within the web browser of a buyer's computerized device, and then send instructions over the Internet to the API of an automated Internet ecommerce system. The ecommerce system will then automatically split the buyer's single item payment to multiple recipients, and automatically credit the escrow account of the multiple recipients at the time of the buyer's purchase. In another embodiment, the details of the fee split arrangement can be stored in the remote ecommerce system, and be automatically invoked when the user makes a purchase. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010907 | Method and System for Providing Location Aware Classified Content - A system and method in accordance with exemplary embodiments may include receiving, from a seller system, seller classified profile information via a network, receiving, from a buyer system, buyer classified profile information via the network, receiving, from a Global Positioning System (GPS) enabled device associated with a buyer, polling information via the network, matching the buyer classified profile information to the seller classified profile information in response to receiving the polling information based on at least one of the seller classified profile information, the buyer classified profile information, and the polling information, and transmitting a notification of the match to the Global Positioning System (GPS) enabled device via the network. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010908 | Payment Mechanism Integration Wizard - Provided is a method and a web-site integration system to integrate payment mechanisms into a commercial website that offers online merchants a flexible, user-friendly and customizable wizard to integrate payment mechanisms into their online commercial websites without having to understand the detailed intricacies of an API or other computer code. The wizard steps the merchant through creating an account to obtain credentials and educates the merchant on the page flows of the payment mechanism that the merchant wishes to integrate. Then, the wizard generates code snippets and files to be downloaded by the merchant and to be easily inserted into key pages of the merchant's online commercial website. The merchant can then test the completely integrated code in a developer's sandbox or go live with the completely integrated code. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010909 | BENEFIT ORDERING AND COMPLIANCE SERVER - A benefits ordering system provides flexible spending account debit cards to employees and allows their employer to enroll in a Plan that ensures compliance with ERISA regulations. The system applies compliance rules during a data collection and plan definition stages of ordering, and produces an ERISA-compliant Plan and documentation as legally required. A directed questioning and answering wizard guides companies and participants through the placing of orders for products. The particular sequence of questions is dependent on the products being ordered, and the parameters drive variations in the plans. Rules and parameters are built into libraries used by the system, and it is these that direct the information collection flow. Each type of Plan is constructed from previously composed paragraphs that are threaded together to encapsulate the parameters and include the required components. Plans can be modified, if new compliance rules must be met, based on changing parameters. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010910 | BROADCASTING OF ELECTRONIC DOCUMENTS PRESERVING COPYRIGHT AND PERMITTING PRIVATE COPYING - The invention comprises a method of broadcasting electronic documents allowing the protection of copyright and private copying. It comprises a control server for taking customer orders that is accessible from a network such as the Internet, a delivery server and a control server that are accessible from the same network, a computer, or a mobile, or any other equipment supporting a display, intended for consulting the document. Said copy of each document is generated by the delivery server on the basis of the model of the document ordered by the customer ( | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010911 | Customer to Supplier Funds Transfer - Apparatuses and methods to facilitate customer to supplier funds transfer via premium messages. In one aspect, an apparatus to electronically transfer funds from a customer to a supplier includes: a server component connected to a network; and a database coupled to the server component. The server component is configured to: transmit a plurality of premium rate mobile terminating text messages to the mobile cellular telephone to effect a payment from the customer to the supplier after the customer has placed an order with a supplier; populate the database with an identification of the telephone number of the customer; populate the database with at least one transaction record related to the premium rate text messages; and facilitate access to the transaction record by the customer via the telephone number of the customer. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010912 | METHOD AND SYSTEM OF FACILITATING A PURCHASE - A system and method of facilitating a purchase including using assistance of a search service and redacting data is described. A user may link an account of a search service with an account of a vendor and may use the linked accounts to purchase an item and/or service from the vendor. A human assistant may select information of an item and/or service from a vendor associated with a user and may provide information of the item to the search system in order that an offer for the item and/or service may be provided to a user and a purchase of the item and/or service may be completed by the user. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010913 | INTERACTIVE COMPUTING ADVICE FACILITY THROUGH A SEARCH INTERFACE - In embodiments of the present invention improved capabilities are described for helping a user make a decision through the use of a computing facility, where the computing facility may be a machine learning facility. The process may begin with an initial question being received by the computing facility from the user. The user may then be provided with a dialog consisting of questions from the computing facility and answers provided by the user. The computing facility may then provide a decision to the user based on the dialog and pertaining to the initial question, such as a recommendation, a diagnosis, a conclusion, advice, and the like. In embodiments, future questions and decisions provided by the computing facility may be improved through feedback provided by the user. In embodiments, the present invention may be utilized in conjunction with a third-party application. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010914 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR RECOMMENDING LECTURE TAILORED TO PERSON, AND CONNECTION TERMINAL THEREOF - Disclosed is an apparatus and method for recommending lectures tailored to each student by presenting lectures arranged based on a priority in consideration of learning ability, level, and region, which is different for each student, a user equipment for accessing to the apparatus, and a computer-readable recording medium for storing a program implementing the method. The apparatus includes: a membership manager for designating a region; a learning type decider for deciding learning tendency or learning level of the student; a lecture provider for providing a lecture that the student applied for among the lectures on a recommended lecture list extracted from a teacher database according to the learning tendency, the learning level, or the region; a quiz provider for providing lectures and quizzes related to the lectures again according to weak and strong parts of the student based on ‘answer to quiz related to the lecture’ submitted by the student. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010915 | LICENSING MEDIA CONSUMPTION USING DIGITAL CURRENCY - Methods and apparatus for issuing licenses to allow end users to consume digital media content on a user device by responding to licensing requests by determining the number of digital currency tokens required to license the requested consumption and then issuing the license if the end user's account has a sufficient number of digital currency tokens. The end user may further use the digital currency tokens to purchase new features, which are internal and/or external to the digital media content. Other embodiments may be disclosed or claimed. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010916 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ORDERING GOODS, SERVICES AND CONTENT OVER AN INTERNETWORK USING A VIRTUAL PAYMENT ACCOUNT - A virtual payment system for ordering and paying for goods, services and content over an internetwork. The virtual system comprises a commerce gateway and a credit processing server. The virtual system is a secure closed system comprising registered merchants and consumers. Once an account is established, a digital certificate is stored on the registered participant's computer. The consumer can then order a product, i.e., goods, services or content from a merchant and charge it to a virtual payment card. When the product is shipped, the merchant notifies the commerce gateway component, which in turn notifies the credit processing server which applies the charges to the consumer's virtual card account. The consumer can settle the charges using a prepaid account, a credit card, or by using reward points earned through use of the virtual payment card. A consumer may create sub-account that have additional limitations. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010917 | AUTO-ADJUSTING ORDER CONFIGURATION RULES USING PARTS SUPPLY - Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to commercial order processing and provide a novel and non-obvious method, computer system and computer program product for facilitating selection of configurations using supply data. In one embodiment of the invention, a method for facilitating configuration selection when ordering computer equipment is provided. The method includes reading a plurality of configuration rules that define constituent parts that are presented to a user for selection when ordering the end product. The method further includes reading supply data for the constituent parts, interpreting the supply data based on a set of user-definable meta rules, and modifying the plurality of configuration rules in accordance with the interpretations of the supply data. The method further includes receiving a request from the user to order the end product and providing the user with information regarding constituent parts that comprise the end product, according to the plurality of configuration rules. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010918 | Multi-Merchant Payment System - A method of payment for multi-vendor gift cards, comprising maintaining a merchandise database comprising records for merchandise and services for a plurality of merchants, enabling a gift card giver to interactively purchase a gift card for a gift card recipient, entitling the gift card recipient to redeem the gift card for items up to a specified spending limit, electronically transferring the money used to purchase the gift card into a card funding account that is used to pay for purchases by the gift card recipient, enabling the gift card recipient to interactively select one or more items from the merchandise database, thereby generating an aggregated selection of items for each merchant issuing orders to each merchant in accordance with the aggregated selected items corresponding to each merchant and paying each merchant the amount of their respective order from the card funding account. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010919 | System and method to generate a product value - Described herein are systems and methods for generating a product value. In some embodiments, a method for generating a product value includes the steps of receiving a product value request from a user, providing a product value information portal, accumulating product value information, and generating a product value. In some embodiments, a system for generating a product value includes a user interface adapted and configured to receive a product value request from a user for a specified product, a portal adapted and configured to receive value information from a plurality of users for the specified product, and a processor adapted and configured to accumulate product value information and generate a product value. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010920 | E-MAIL BASED GIFT DELIVERY - A retail system enabling a first party to purchase a gift and to deliver the gift to a second party comprises a retailer computer and a communication network enabling a user device to communicate with the retailer computer. The retailer computer is programmed to provide a gift website accessible by the first party via the user device and includes a merchandise module and a delivery module. The merchandise module enables the first party to purchase a gift. The delivery module is adapted to receive an e-mail address or pseudonym of the second party from the first party, to procure shipping addresses associated with the e-mail address or pseudonym, to enable the first party to select one of the shipping addresses, and to cause the gift to be shipped to the selected shipping address without revealing the selected shipping address to the first party. Other systems and methods are also disclosed. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010921 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING ON-LINE DONATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH MEDIA CONTENT - A computer-implemented method and apparatus for processing on-line donations associated with media content is disclosed. An example embodiment includes elements to integrate a payment button with an associated item of media content on a web page; link the payment button with an account on a payment site; receive a donation from a donor via the payment button; and credit the donation to the account linked to the payment button. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010922 | System and Method for Providing Interoperability Between Diameter Policy Control and Charging in a 3GPP Network - A system and method are described whereby interoperability is facilitated in a 3GPP network environment in combination with DIAMETER policy controls. Such interoperability enables updated policy rules to be fully communicated in on-line charging situations where quota expirations occur. This invention maintains centralized policy control in a 3GPP network with on-line charging. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010923 | Distributing Alternatively Generated Power to a Real Estate Development - A system for distributing alternatively generated power to a real estate development includes at least one alternative energy electrical power generator forming a cooperative power farm. A power grid receives electrical power from the cooperative power farm. A metering credit system is configured to determine a metered credit of power received by the power grid from the cooperative power farm. A plurality of real estate properties are electrically coupled to the power grid and receive at least a portion of the metered credit of power. Ownership of at least one of the plurality of real estate properties includes rights to the portion of the metered credit. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010924 | ENERGY CREDIT HARVESTING - The harvesting of energy credits due to the transformation of a real estate property. The transformation results in improved energy usage of the real estate property, resulting in energy credits being earned by the owner of the real estate property. The energy credits are obtained by monitoring the power usage of the real estate property before the transformation, and after the transformation. An entity other than the owner of the real estate property facilitates the transformation by providing products or instructions that help make the transformation, or perhaps even by the entity taking at least partially responsibility for making the transformation. In consideration for the facilitation of the transformation, the entity receives at least a portion of the energy credits that result from the transformation. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010925 | Method of exchanging securities - A method of conducting transactions in securities provides an economic benefit to the issuing entity whenever a security issued by the entity is involved in a transaction. For example, an entity issuing stock may receive a royalty whenever the stock is traded between third parties on a stock exchange. A computer system or computer program running on a computer system forming a computerized exchange may be provided to enable transactions in securities and to calculate royalties payable to the issuing entity for transactions involving securities issued by that entity. The royalty may take the form of any measure of economic benefit to the issuing entity or of economic detriment to one of the other parties or intermediaries involved in the transaction. For example, the value may include a percentage of the seller's profit, a percentage of the value of the securities involved in the transaction, a percentage of the number of securities involved in the transaction, a portion of the security itself, a right to buy other securities, a straight fee, a commission, a portion of a spread between the sales price and bid price, a portion of a fee due to the exchange on which the transaction took place, a portion of a fee due to any intermediary, or any other measure of value. Royalties may due to the entity for every transaction, every predetermined number of transactions, various sets or subsets of transactions, randomly selected transactions, transactions involving only particular securities or for any other subset of transactions. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010926 | SYSTEM, METHOD AND INSTRUMENT FOR MANAGING MARGIN REQUIREMENTS - A method, media and system are directed to allocating a market risk for a trading participant. A computer-readable financial instrument is established based on a tradable commodity that is subject to an external risk or based on an event trigger for an anticipated environmental event that may cause harm to a geographic region; a health care risk for a geographic region, or a risk of enactment of a public policy that causes an economic impact to a geographic region. The instrument is traded between trading participants and a margin requirement for an account of at least one of the trading participants is determined based on an risk score for the instrument. Periodically, a change in the risk score is determined and the margin requirement is adjusted based on the change in the risk score. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010927 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR STRUCTURING THE OWNERSHIP OF AN INVESTMENT - A method of structuring ownership of an invention including the steps of receiving an investment commitment and a capital contribution from at least one investor, investing the capital contribution in a portfolio company, assigning a set of securities to the at least one investor based upon the capital contribution, the set of securities comprising a plurality of strips, and providing one or more of the plurality of strips to the at least one investor, wherein each of the plurality of strips is defined as a portion of the capital contribution and wherein at least one of the strips is dedicated for donation by the investor to at least one charity. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010928 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TRADING PACKAGED COLLAR OPTIONS ON AN EXCHANGE - A method of creating and trading packaged standard option collars on an exchange is provided, as well as a trading facility for trading such packaged standard option collars. Collars are created by identifying an underlying asset, a first leg of a collar is determined by determining the desired strike price for the first leg and selecting a standard option contract traded on the exchange having a strike price closest to the desired strike price. The second leg is determined by selecting another standard option, the opposite of the first leg, having an option price substantially offsetting the option price of the first leg. Once the legs of the collar have been selected the collar package may be listed on the exchange, and orders for the collars may be processed by matching orders for opposite positions in the collar. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010929 | System and Method for Calculating and Displaying Volume to Identify Buying and Selling in an Electronic Trading Environment - A system and method are provided for calculating and displaying volume to identify aggressive buying or selling activity. In a preferred embodiment, market information such as the inside market, last traded price, and last traded quantity is received from the electronic exchange and is used to assist a trader in determining the initiative side of a trade, either bid side or ask side. Once a determination is made, the result may be used to assist a trader analyzing the market volume. Other features and advantages are described herein. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010930 | PROVIDING A REAL TIME CREDIT SCORE AS PART OF A TRANSACTION REQUEST - Providing a real time credit score to a transaction account issuer as part of the transaction authorization request message is disclosed. A payment processor augments the transaction request received from a customer or merchant by calculating a credit score and adding it to the authorization request message. The real time credit score calculation may be based upon data stored by the payment processor and upon information collected from credit bureaus, transaction account issuers and other third-party sources. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010931 | Method and System for Reporting Cashflows to Clients - A system and method of providing a client with cashflow monitoring during a transfer of services (e.g. pre-authorized debits and credits) from a first account to a second account, the method comprising the steps of: (i) determining an effective date for the transfer of each service, said effective dates creating a transfer window; (ii) determining cashflows for said first account and said second account during said transfer window; (iii) adjusting effective dates for transfer of each services to avoid cashflow interruptions in said first and said second accounts; and (iv) providing a cashflow analysis to the client that lists all the effective dates for each service transfer and predicted cashflows for said first and said second account during said transfer window. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010932 | SECURE WIRELESS DEPOSIT SYSTEM AND METHOD - A system and method is provided for registering a user or a wireless device and executing a transaction of funds from a third party account to a prepaid account. The wireless device is in secure communication with an administrating server over a network. The administrating server is in communication with a third party entity, via a third party entity server, as well as with a prepaid server. In the initial registration process, the user provides the credentials for accessing the third party account using the wireless device. The credentials are stored on the wireless device, administrating server, or both. In subsequent transactions, the user enters in the amount to be deposited into the prepaid account and the credentials are automatically retrieved from storage for authentication. If authenticated, the transaction is executed by the administrating server. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010933 | TRACEABILITY VERIFICATION SYSTEM, METHOD AND PROGRAM FOR THE SAME - A system for enabling verification in traceability of a supply chain while maintaining confidentiality of private suppliers. A group signature is applied to an undisclosed supplier. The undisclosed supplier previously receives registration to the certificate authority device, and performs a group signature based on the certificate issued by the certificate authority device. A disclosed supplier and the undisclosed supplier sign and generate a signature chain when they ship parts. A verifier device receives a signature chain with products shipped from the supplier manager device, divides a signature of the disclosed supplier from a signature chain, and verifies the undisclosed supplier from the group signature. Identification of the undisclosed supplier is performed by a third-party auditor system requested to do so by the verifier device by using a group private key. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010934 | UNIVERSAL ADVERTISING DIRECTORY - This invention relates generally to software, and more specifically, to systems and methods to establish a directory of any kind of offer, whether commercial or non-commercial. The invention enables any person to create a forum for any kind of offer without the intervention or action of the operator of the directory, permitting the directory to be extended to offer types not even understood by the operators of the directory. The invention further enables persons making offers of every type to advertise their offers in such directory, and to rapidly update their offers as market conditions change. The invention further enables consumers to review offers in such directories, and compare offers based on price, years of experience, and other quantified metrics. The invention further enables consumers to invite those making a particular type of offer to bid on a specific job, and for such bids to be organized in charts, maps, and lists from which the consumer can compare the prices and qualifications of those bidding. The invention further enables a reward system providing incentives to people who induce those making offers to list their offers on such directory. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010935 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CREDIT WORTHINESS SCORING AND LOAN FACILITATION - The present invention relates to methods, systems and computer readable media for generating a financial score. In an embodiment, the method for generating a financial score comprises collecting and aggregating sets of data, estimating income paths based on the collected data, determining risk associated with the income path and generating a financial score. Exemplary systems and computer readable media include program code for executing a method for generating a financial score and processing financial instruments on a network. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010936 | Method and Interface for Consolidating Price Levels on a Trading Screen - A trading screen may display price and quantity information for price levels in a static axis of prices. The static axis of prices may be divided into two or more different regions. The price and quantity information for one or more of the regions may be consolidated from price and quantity information from plurality of un-consolidated price levels. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010937 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING RISK ASSESSMENT MANAGEMENT AND REPORTING FOR MULTI-MARKET ELECTRONIC TRADING - A method and system for providing risk management, reporting and assessment for multi-market electronic trading. The method and system allow risk associated with one or more trading accounts for an electronic trader in multi-market electronic trading to be analyzed, reported and managed in real-time. The method and system includes graphical display of risk assessments for plural traders. The risk assessment includes a set of risk parameters with current risk parameters and historical risk parameters and provides an integrated view of current and historical trading activities and trading resources of the electronic trader across all electronic trading exchanges a trader is trading on. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010938 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ASSET ALLOCATION - A method and system of matching an investor's objectives for portfolio investment return and risk with an assessment of a range of expected returns and risks that are likely to be generated by investment portfolios consisting at least in part of alternative asset classes that involves, for example, selecting available historical data for a plurality of alternative asset classes, unsmoothing the historical data based at least in part on historical data for traditional asset classes related to the respective alternative asset classes, and correcting the historical data for the alternative asset classes for an impact of survivorship and selection biases. A forecast of an expected return and risk is computed for each of the alternative asset classes, based at least in part on the unsmoothed and corrected historical data for the alternative asset classes, and at least one of the alternative asset classes that has an expected return and risk that corresponds substantially to the investor's objectives for portfolio investment return and risk is identified for inclusion in the investment portfolio. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010939 | RENEWABLE ENERGY SYSTEM BUSINESS TUNING - A business tuning system collects streams of informational reports from remote renewable energy systems. A database holds the information and associates it with a particular renewable energy business operation. A pre-processor semi-structures the information into failure analyses, sales histories, performance results, regional trends, seasonal trends, and demographics. A data mining processor provides for knowledge discovery and prediction from semi-structured information related to said particular renewable energy business operation. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010940 | Method for probabilistic information fusion to filter multi-lingual, semi-structured and multimedia Electronic Content - The invention belongs to the field of information system technology and more specifically in the area of electronic content management. The invention concerns method producing filtering systems of electronic documents that contain text in different languages, e.g. English, French, etc., as well as multimedia elements, e.g. digital images and/or digital video and/or digital excerpts of audio/speech. These documents can be semi-structured, i.e., they can exhibit structural features that are not to be found in non-digital documents, e.g. hyperlinks, or not. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010941 | Computer method and apparatus for classifying objects - A computer classification method and apparatus employs statistical analysis of known objects in the class of interest. For each known object in the class, a respective vector of q bits is formed. Each bit indicates presence or absence of an activity or physical property in the object. The probability that a bit is equal to 1 in the class is then applied to vector representations of test objects and determines probability of the test object belonging to the class. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010942 | INFORMATION PROCESSING DEVICE, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD, AND PROGRAM - An information processing device includes a first learning unit, a first error modeling unit, a first error generation unit, and a first estimation unit. The first learning unit learns a first estimation formula for estimating a first target variable of content on the basis of the feature quantity of the content. The first error modeling unit determines a first model of an error generated in the estimation of the first target variable based on the first estimation formula learned by the first learning unit. The first error generation unit generates, with the use of a random number, an error according to the first model determined by the first error modeling unit. The first estimation unit estimates the first target variable of the content by using the first estimation formula learned by the first learning unit and the random number generated by the first error generation unit. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010943 | LEARNING DEVICE, LEARNING METHOD, AND PROGRAM - A learning device includes: a plurality of learning modules, each of which performs update learning to update a plurality of model parameters of a pattern learning model that learns a pattern using input data; model parameter sharing means for causing two or more learning modules from among the plurality of learning modules to share the model parameters; module creating means for creating a new learning module corresponding to new learning data for learning the pattern when the new learning data are supplied as the input data; similarity evaluation means for evaluating similarities among the learning modules after the update learning is performed over all the learning modules including the new learning module; and module integrating means for determining whether to integrate the learning modules on the basis of the similarities among the learning modules and integrating the learning modules. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010944 | MANAGING PERSONAL DIGITAL ASSETS OVER MULTIPLE DEVICES - In a first embodiment of the present invention, a method for managing digital assets of a user over multiple home network-enabled devices, the method comprising: receiving information, from a plurality of home network-enabled personal devices, regarding digital assets accessed by the personal devices, wherein the plurality of personal devices are owned or operated by the user and the information is automatically gathered by each personal device tracking its own usage; storing the information; and providing, to one of the plurality of personal devices, identifications of digital assets accessed by the personal devices by accessing the stored information. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010945 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR WEB RESOURCE LOCATION CLASSIFICATION AND DETECTION - A method and system for identifying locations associated with a web resource is provided. The location system identifies three different types of geographic locations: a provider location, a content location, and a serving location. A provider location identifies the geographic location of the entity that provides the web resource. A content location identifies the geographic location that is the subject of the web resource. A serving location identifies the geographic scope that the web page reaches. An application can select to use the type of location that is of particular interest. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010946 | METHOD FOR EVOLVING MOLECULES AND COMPUTER PROGRAM FOR IMPLEMENTING THE SAME - A computer-based method and system of evolving a virtual molecule with a set of desired properties is described that begins with extracting fragments from existing molecules and labeling those fragments. Connectivity rules existing between the fragments in the existing molecules are determined followed by combining these fragments according to the connectivity rules. The molecules generated by the combination are evaluated and some are selected for modification. The evaluation and modification steps are repeated for the selected molecules until either 1) a target evaluation value is achieved or 2) the evaluation step has been performed a predefined number of times. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010947 | INFORMATION PROCESSSING APPARATUS, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD, AND PROGRAM - An information processing apparatus includes an algorithm configuring section that configures an algorithm for performing discrimination on an input signal by using a genetic search technique, and a tradeoff analyzing section that determines Pareto optimal solutions of the algorithm with respect to evaluation indices by performing tradeoff analysis on the basis of the algorithm. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010948 | Learning Device, Learning Method, and Program - A learning device includes: a plurality of learning modules, each of which performs update learning to update a plurality of model parameters of a pattern learning model that learns a pattern using input data; model parameter sharing means for causing two or more learning modules from among the plurality of learning modules to share the model parameters; and sharing strength updating means for updating sharing strengths between the learning modules so as to minimize learning errors when the plurality of model parameters are updated by the update learning. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010949 | Learning Device, Learning Method, and Program - A learning device includes: a plurality of learning modules, each of which performs update learning to update a plurality of model parameters of a pattern learning model that learns a pattern using input data; model parameter sharing means for causing two or more learning modules from among the plurality of learning modules to share the model parameters; and classification means for classifying the plurality of learning modules on the basis of the plurality of model parameters of each of the learning modules after the update learning. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010950 | DETERMINING COMPLIANCE RATES FOR PROBABILISTIC REQUESTS - Systems and methods for solving a constraint satisfaction problem (CSP) defined by one or more variables, constraints and probabilistic requests (PRs) are provided. In one embodiment, each PR is mapped onto a set of constraints that implement the PR. The CSP solver then finds a series of solutions to the CSP. For each solution, if a constraint associated with a PR is satisfied, then a success counter for that PR is incremented; else a failure counter for that PR is incremented. If the constraint was not considered for the purpose of solving the CSP, then the failure counter for the PR associated with the constraint is incremented. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010951 | CHARACTER OUTFIT AUTOCONFIGURATION DEVICE, CHARACTER OUTFIT AUTOCONFIGURATION METHOD, AND CHARACTER OUTFIT AUTOCONFIGURATION PROGRAM - Provided is a character outfit autoconfiguration device capable of configuring outfit for a character matched with a content of a scenario without requiring specification of outfit by a user or using user environment information. The character outfit autoconfiguration device ( | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010952 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR TARGET VALUE PATH IDENTIFICATION - Target value search methods and systems are presented for solving a target value path problem to identify a path or paths in a graph in which a connection graph is created and upper and lower bound values are determined for each node in the connection graph, and a first best search is performed to identify a path or paths from a starting node to a goal node having a path value closest to the target value. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010953 | Method and Apparatus for Generating Context-Aware Generic Workflow Applications - A method and apparatus for generating context-aware generic workflow applications is provided. The apparatus comprises: one or more generic workflow functional modules deployed on one or more workflow nodes of a workflow; a context-aware configuration storage device configured to store context-aware configuration data including context-aware logics; a context obtaining module configured, in response to the execution of the workflow on a workflow node, to obtain the current context of the workflow execution; a context-aware logic management module configured to retrieve context-aware logics matching the current context in the context-aware configuration data stored in the context-aware configuration storage device; wherein a relevant workflow functional module in the one or more generic workflow functional modules is configured to execute relevant operations according to the matched context-aware logics, thus generating a context-aware generic workflow application. The apparatus and method of the invention can generate generic workflow applications applicable to various workflows and contexts, which saves the developing and testing costs of workflow applications. | 2010-01-14 |
| 20100010954 | DEVICE AND METHOD OF PROCESSING RULES BASED ON WEB SERVICES - Provided is a device for storing a rule describing an event, a condition to be satisfied by the event, and an action to be executed when the condition is satisfied and executing the action of the rule in an expended structure for using web services so as to effectively process the web services in various devices as well as a computer. In addition, a global rule manager for inspecting the validity of the rule when the rule is stored and executed is provided. Accordingly, the web services can be effectively used in a ubiquitous environment. | 2010-01-14 |
